Magazine redesign
Bravo for the great new look of both the CE News and Structural Engineer publications. Thanks for keeping the civil and structural engineers informed.
Robert C. Graf, P.E.

Stifling standards
I want to thank Richard Weingardt, P.E., for his column, "Educating tomorrow’s structural engineers" in the December 2006 issue of Structural Engineer. It was an enjoyable read.

As an educator trying to help create this new breed of engineer—that we all say we want and need—I would like to put forth one idea that I don’t think is so commonly recognized: ABET and its accreditation process is stifling innovation at the undergraduate level, and this is in part leading to the need for ASCE’s four-plus-30 and other changes.

If you took the shackles off of engineering educators you would see a much greater diversity of offerings as to what civil engineering education could, and should, be. Admittedly, some would fail; but the marketplace, both in terms of students who pick schools and in terms of employers who hire students, would decide—and winners would be rewarded.

I believe from the outside most people assume ABET is ensuring a level of quality in civil engineering education. Indeed, I believe that it is ensuring some lower bound, but, at the same time it is also putting barriers up to those who would try very different models of civil engineering education.
Ben Schafer, Baltimore

Plea for simplicity
I just finished reading the article, "Searching for Simplicity," by S.K. Ghosh, in the January 2007 issue of Structural Engineer and I wish to applaud Mr. Ghosh for making his voice heard in the complexity of wind design codes for structures. I also wish to add my voice to his in expressing my frustration with the wind provisions, as well as the complexity of code provisions in general.

I, like all others, agree that we must continually strive to increase our knowledge and understanding of structural design. However, shouldn’t we temper that knowledge and understanding with a dose of reality? Are we becoming so precise that we’re forgetting to be accurate? When did we begin to believe that we live in a perfect world or that by our efforts, it could become a perfect world?
Quin E. Whitaker, P.E., SECB, Logan, Utah